Network Rail "Freight Escape" excellent series

[railfan99]

This video was released a few days ago, and there are at least three more that I've yet to view:

I found it most enjoyable to watch.

Not too long, but gets its points across well. Good videography (if that's a word) as well.

Numbers of signal boxes are diminishing in your country so interesting that the presenter interviewed a signalman.

To achieve a 25 tonne axle loading (100t per wagon on a 4400t gross quarry products train) is impressive. In Australia on the standard gauge national network our intermodal and steel trains are almost always a minimum of 60 to a maximum of about 110 wagons (1500 to 1800 metres maximum length) and they'd weigh more than 4400 tonnes if many containers were full or steel was being carried, but a typical axle load here might be 23 tonnes. So well done in the UK!

I see nearby Chape-en-le-Frith station retains a signal box and semaphore signals so it's on the list to inspect on my next visit. Probably a delightful village as well, and on a passenger line isn't it?

If so minded, please distribute the video to get the message out about how vital rail freight is, even to many home renovators.

The Network Rail gent narrating and presenting is a natural talent.

A suitable voice but more importantly, very good eye contact with the camera.

Felixstowe and nearby branches is another area I need to visit so great to see rail is carrying 29 per cent of all container freight handled at England's busiest container port.

On a small island like England/Scotland/Wales is, that's good by world standards.

 

[5562]

Thanks for posting the video. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially the views of the Tunstead site/operations and all the more enjoyable as I was born and bred in the High Peak. Chapel-en-le-Frith, known as the "Capital of the Peak (District)" is well worth visiting, particularly the historic market place but the station is actually about a mile south of the town centre. The nearest station to Peak Forest and Tunstead is Dove Holes, on the Buxton line from Stockport.

 

[railfan99]

Thanks for posting the video. Thoroughly enjoyable...

Each one in the series is worth watching. In total, it'll take well under an hour.

Some very impressive train numbers per day at sites like Drax. UK residents ought be proud of the role freight rail plays.

 

[furnessvale]

Thanks for posting the video. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially the views of the Tunstead site/operations and all the more enjoyable as I was born and bred in the High Peak. Chapel-en-le-Frith, known as the "Capital of the Peak (District)" is well worth visiting, particularly the historic market place but the station is actually about a mile south of the town centre. The nearest station to Peak Forest and Tunstead is Dove Holes, on the Buxton line from Stockport.

Or jump on the 199 bus from Buxton to Manchester Airport or vv. Alternate buses (one an hour)take the more scenic route via Peak Dale, which runs right alongside the line at the Cemex quarry.

This video was released a few days ago, and there are at least three more that I've yet to view:

I found it most enjoyable to watch.

Not too long, but gets its points across well. Good videography (if that's a word) as well.

Numbers of signal boxes are diminishing in your country so interesting that the presenter interviewed a signalman.

To achieve a 25 tonne axle loading (100t per wagon on a 4400t gross quarry products train) is impressive. In Australia on the standard gauge national network our intermodal and steel trains are almost always a minimum of 60 to a maximum of about 110 wagons (1500 to 1800 metres maximum length) and they'd weigh more than 4400 tonnes if many containers were full or steel was being carried, but a typical axle load here might be 23 tonnes. So well done in the UK!

I see nearby Chape-en-le-Frith station retains a signal box and semaphore signals so it's on the list to inspect on my next visit. Probably a delightful village as well, and on a passenger line isn't it?

If so minded, please distribute the video to get the message out about how vital rail freight is, even to many home renovators.

The Network Rail gent narrating and presenting is a natural talent.

A suitable voice but more importantly, very good eye contact with the camera.

Felixstowe and nearby branches is another area I need to visit so great to see rail is carrying 29 per cent of all container freight handled at England's busiest container port.

On a small island like England/Scotland/Wales is, that's good by world standards.

To be pedantic, axle load in the UK is 25 old fashioned UK tons, which equate to 25.5 metric tonnes. Thus a 100 tons wagon is actually 102 metric tonnes, slightly higher than the original impressive figure!

I also notice in episode 5 about Felixstowe, the railfreight industry is still allowing the nonsense figure of 29% of containers lifted by rail to go unchallenged. Whilst this figure is technically correct in relation to boxes lifted, the only true measure of freight's worth to the country is tonnes MOVED ie weight multiplied by distance. Rail containers move considerably further than road movements. Apply this to containers and rail moves more than 50% of the total, a figure rail should be using and stressing at every opportunity.

 

[Spartacus]

It took me a couple of watches to notice how the moving title design echoes the old Railfreight logos, a nice subtle touch

 

[railfan99]

I also notice in episode 5 about Felixstowe, the railfreight industry is still allowing the nonsense figure of 29% of containers lifted by rail to go unchallenged. Whilst this figure is technically correct in relation to boxes lifted, the only true measure of freight's worth to the country is tonnes MOVED ie weight multiplied by distance. Rail containers move considerably further than road movements. Apply this to containers and rail moves more than 50% of the total, a figure rail should be using and stressing at every opportunity.

Can't disagree with your proposition but nowhere worldwide do ports use your suggested method to my knowledge.

It's always how many TEUs are moved, each TEU being a 6.1 metre container (in Imperial, 20'). So what in my country has become a very common 12.2 metre container (40') is counted as 'two'.

 

[zwk500]

Can't disagree with your proposition but nowhere worldwide do ports use your suggested method to my knowledge.

Ports don't but tonne/km is a fairly common metric for measuring freight movements.

To achieve a 25 tonne axle loading (100t per wagon on a 4400t gross quarry products train) is impressive. In Australia on the standard gauge national network our intermodal and steel trains are almost always a minimum of 60 to a maximum of about 110 wagons (1500 to 1800 metres maximum length) and they'd weigh more than 4400 tonnes if many containers were full or steel was being carried, but a typical axle load here might be 23 tonnes. So well done in the UK!

Just to pick up on a couple of points in here - 4400t is quite rare for the UK. AFAIK only Peak Forest and Medip Quarry trains run at more than 2400/2600t (which is about 450m long). Intermodals run at about 1800t/775m max length, although given the poor state of clearance for such lengths on the UK Network many intermodals run at significantly shorter lengths.

The GB network is also notoriously poor for gauge clearance, which also constrains freight traffic by requiring modified wagons or rebuilding lines to fit the bigger boxes through. The short length of the UK rail journeys also means that loco changes are not as attractive, so we tend to end up with lots of diesel running under wires to reduce staffing costs. Although it's improving in recent years, electrically-hauled freight is a tiny proportion of the total.

Given those issues, it's quite remarkable we manage to move as much as we do!

 

[railfan99]

Ports don't but tonne/km is a fairly common metric for measuring freight movements.

Just to pick up on a couple of points in here - 4400t is quite rare for the UK. AFAIK only Peak Forest and Medip Quarry trains run at more than 2400/2600t (which is about 450m long). Intermodals run at about 1800t/775m max length, although given the poor state of clearance for such lengths on the UK Network many intermodals run at significantly shorter lengths.

Given those issues, it's quite remarkable we manage to move as much as we do!

On my visit (see trip reports) between late September and mid October 2022, I was impressed by the number of freights I saw.

I reckon on a small island, your rail operators do a great job as for many logistics managers, the temptation would be to send everything by road. Worldwide, heavy road vehicles tend not to pay their fair share of the damage they cause to road pavements: several thousand times that of a private car in many cases.

On my trip I went past two well used private sidings for Tesco and another (Co-op?) supermarket chain but without laboriously going through my notebook I can't recall where. Each had numerous wagons which I thought great.

Is it difficult in the UK to have (say) longer refuge loops (i.e. to allow passenger trains to overtake intermodals) given constraints such as closely spaced passenger stations and perhaps level crossings, and/or housing developments where neighbours to rail might complain if freights were constantly refuged?

775 metres is pretty short.

I am no expert, but the UK well wagons seem to have more 'excess space' at each end of the wagon than in my distant nation. I assume also you can't have what we call '5-packs' that are five container flats (to fit a 12.2m longer TEU each i.e. 40 feet) semi-permanently coupled together?

And just like on Australia's east coast thanks to tunnels, bridges, footbridges and other structures, you'd have no intermodal operations ever capable of double stacking?

Is HS2 to be passenger-only or will it like on some of the Continent also play host to freight trains?

 

[zwk500]

Is it difficult in the UK to have (say) longer refuge loops (i.e. to allow passenger trains to overtake intermodals) given constraints such as closely spaced passenger stations and perhaps level crossings, and/or housing developments where neighbours to rail might complain if freights were constantly refuged?

There's lots of factors at play but yes these all constrain things. Also having suitable places for loops that also fit with the timetable. Loop placement is a tricky thing. Another issue is the cost of changing anything on our network.

775 metres is pretty short.

European standard, UK passenger trains are generally 250m max by comparison.

I am no expert, but the UK well wagons seem to have more 'excess space' at each end of the wagon than in my distant nation. I assume also you can't have what we call '5-packs' that are five container flats (to fit a 12.2m longer TEU each i.e. 40 feet) semi-permanently coupled together?

we have the 5-coupled, well wagons are less preferred for exactly that wasted space. However flat wagons with containers need to be on specifically cleared routes.

And just like on Australia's east coast thanks to tunnels, bridges, footbridges and other structures, you'd have no intermodal operations ever capable of double stacking?

Yes, double stacking is very rare across the whole of Europe. Its rare enough that a new line in the Netherlands was built with bridges big enough for double stacking but the OLE wire height at the normal single stacking height.

Is HS2 to be passenger-only or will it like on some of the Continent also play host to freight trains?

It will be passenger only, but because it takes passenger pressure off the classic WCML (which is cleared to the largest UK standards) there will be space for more freight on the southern end of the WCML.
AFAIK all European HS lines are passenger only (with a bit of post/parcels), HS1 is the only HS line that was designed with freight intended to run on it (e.g. Loops, gradients, cant).

 

[railfan99]

Have a look at 3:55 in Episode 2 where there's a brief, but excellent, shot of steel train wagons loaded with coil steel on multiple tracks in the yard. It brought home to me the volume of steel required for hospitals, schools, homes and numerous manufacturing industries in the UK.

 

[ABB125]

AFAIK all European HS lines are passenger only (with a bit of post/parcels), HS1 is the only HS line that was designed with freight intended to run on it (e.g. Loops, gradients, cant).

I believe the Hannover - Würzburg and Erfurt - Bamberg high speed lines in Germany are designed to accommodate freight. They certainly both have loops! Given the rather sparse passenger service on the lines (typically 2-3tph I believe) there definitely should be capacity.
Whether any freight actually uses them is another matter...

 

[railfan99]

Possibly just luck of the draw in how the featured operations don't involve it, but I was a tad surprised that some other rail freight operators such as Colas didn't get a guernsey.